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Innovation For All - Conversations on the Social Impact of Innovation and Tech

By Innovation For All

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Description

Innovation For All features far-reaching conversations about hard problems and big ideas at the intersection of innovation and society.
Want to know whether Artificial Intelligence is racist? What it feels like to be a conservative working in tech? How AR or VR can help the hard-of-hearing? Whether implicit bias training is effective? This is the podcast for you.
Dr. Sheana Ahlqvist applies a background in social psychology and entrepreneurship to stir up entirely new conversations on how the two interact.
New episodes biweekly.
Topics: technology, social justice, business, AI

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ExplicitWhy FinTech is failing the poor with Wendy De La Rosa of the Common Cents Lab

How can FinTech leverage behavioral economics to help people become more financially secure? Sheana Ahlqvist talks to Wendy De La Rosa, co-founder of Common Cents Lab, a research lab that launches and tests products to help low-to-moderate-income Americans.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:
What kinds of Fintech products and apps effectively help people budget and save.
How certain Fintech apps could be hurting more than helping those below the poverty line.
Why lots of common features are ineffective and undermine our interest in savings.
Tricks from behavioural economics that anyone can use to get their spending habits in order.
How the needs of those in poverty are drastically different and what product managers can do to fit their unique needs.
Specific ways to remove friction around SNAP benefits, tax refunds and loan repayments to help people in poverty get ahead.
Frequency Budgets vs. Financial Budgets
What dark patterns are and how they apply to Fintech products.
How “round-ups” can help people save money in the long term.
How temptation plays a major role in how people deal with their money.
Sheana and Wendy also talk about the Stanford course Designing AI to Cultivate Human Well Being.
LINKS:
Common Cents Labs (Website)
Metlife Foundation (Website)
Digit (App)
Designing AI to Cultivate Human Well Being (Course)
Admit Hub (App)
The Way We Work (TED Series)
Wendy’s Stanford Student Page (Website)
Wendy’s LinkedIn (Website)
CNote (App)
OTHERS MENTIONED:
Tech Crunch
Forbes
30 Under 30 Forbes
PBS News
MetLife Foundation
Uber
Lyft
SNAP Benefits
Ford
Amanda McLaughlin
Jennifer Aaker
Fei Fei Li
LinkedIn
Facebook
Stanford University
Katy Milkman

People in Appalachia are skeptical and cautious about technology. Dr. Sherry Hamby believes understanding how they think can be useful for living in a tech-centric world.
Dr. Sherry Hamby is a Research Professor of Psychology at the University of the South and Director of the Life Paths Appalachian Research Center, She’s best known for her work in violence measurement, poly-victimization, and resilience.

ExplicitBonus: What did you change your mind about in 2018? Answers on AI, data, work, and more.

In this special episode, Sheana asks some of her favorite guests two key questions: What is something you've changed your mind about in 2018? And what is something you'd like to see become a larger part of the conversation in 2019?
You don't want to miss this one. Want to hear more from these great guests? Check out their full episodes:
Hear more from Jordan Axt (@jordanaxt) in Implicit Bias: Everything You're Afraid to Ask; Amanda Lotz (@drtvlotz) in Is Netflix a tech company or a media company?; Jutta Treviranus (@juttatrevira) in The 80/20 rule hurts everything from education to self-driving cars; Osonde Osoba (@OsondeOsoba) in When are "fair" algorithms better than accurate ones?; Eliza Khuner (@ElizaKhuner) in Facebook Can do more for working parents and Sally Hubbard (@Sally_Hubbard) in Google and Facebook are monoplies. Does it matter?

ExplicitNo one taught us how to work. Jake Kahana wants to change that with Caveday.

Technology can better serve humanity. In this episode of the Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana Ahlqvist speaks with Jake Kahana, founder of Bettvr With Age and Caveday. Jake shares these two projects that look very different on the surface. In fact, they are united by a common goal, to demonstrate the social impact of technology. Discover how Virtual reality (VR) can be therapeutic for seniors, why the typical 9-5 work day is a complete fallacy, and how to manage remote teams effectively. You’ll enjoy this episode if you are interested in VR or modernizing the workplace.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:
The difference between a social impact agency and cost marketing agency
The challenges in producing and distributing VR films 2 significant limitations for senior citizens: mobility and finances
The Impact of Bettvr With Age Physical and mental therapy using VR
What is Caveday?
How to improve your relationship to work
The dangers of overwork
How to communicate with a remote team
How important is establishing rules around communication, scheduling and productivity inside a team
3 Things you need when you work – accountability, motivation, and support
Resources your team can use to increase productivity
Undoubtedly, technology isn’t just for the young. It is for all ages – even seniors. This is what Jake is proving to exhibit in his Bettvr with Age project where he produces VR films for senior citizens. Seniors can still experience places and activities that their old age won’t permit them to do and visit through VR. We also discuss the science of productivity.
Through Caveday, Jake and his team are able to organize pieces of training for individuals and companies on how to do deep work since no one taught us how to work. There are ways you can improve your relationship to work to be productive and also avoid overworking. Jake identifies specific resources you can use to support your team’s productivity and happiness.
Full shownotes available at innovationforallcast.com.

ExplicitWho can regulate technical systems if no one understands them? feat. David Robinson

Can AI really change the world? Or are its developing algorithms formalizing social injustice? When these highly-technical systems derive patterns from existing datasets, their models can perpetuate past mistakes.
In this episode of the Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana Ahlqvist discusses with David Robinson the threats of social bias and discrimination becoming embedded in Artificial Intelligence.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
What is the role of technological advances in shaping society?
What is the difference between Machine Learning vs. Artificial Intelligence?
Social Justice Implications of Technology
What are the limitations of finding patterns in previous data?
How does should government regulate new, highly technical systems?
The need for more resources and more thoughtfulness in regulating data
Examples of data-driven issues in the private sector.
Removing skepticism of regulatory agencies in examining data models.
Authorities should remember that there are limits to what AI models can do.
David is the co-founder of Upturn and currently a Visiting Scientist at the AI Policy and Practice Initiative in Cornell's College of Computing and Information Science. David touches on how government regulatory agencies should examine new AI models and systems, especially as the technology continues to creep its way into our day-to-day lives. David discusses the importance of “ground truthing.” David emphasizes looking at a technology’s capabilities and limits before deciding on whether decision makers should implement it.
LINKS
Upturn
The Partnership on AI
OTHERS MENTIONED
Cornell University
Hannah Sassaman
Christan Salazar Volkmann
Human Rights Data Analysis Group
CONNECT WITH DAVID
Sign up for Equal Future newsletter
Follow David on Twitter
Learn more at innovationforallcast.com
If you enjoy this episode on AI and ethics, you might also enjoy WHEN ARE “FAIR” ALGORITHMS BETTER THAN ACCURATE ONES?

Are the tech giants doing enough for working parents?
Eliza Khuner questions whether the 9-to-5 full-time work schedule is limiting companies and employees, especially working parents. Eliza is a data scientist who worked at Facebook until she had her third child. Discover how she turned her concerns into a company-wide movement for more flexible work options, growing from private talks with HR to a public discussion with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to a viral WIRED article.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:
Do company standard policies really support working parents?
What happened when Eliza confronted Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives with the demand for more flexible options for working parents?
Why should companies allow working parents to part-time or work from home?
Will this create a loss of culture in the workplace?
Are huge talents overlooked because most companies require full-time work?
Does creating more flexible solutions create ways to pay people less?
Sheana and Eliza also talk about the loss of workplace culture when there are flexible work options, the need for wellness rooms for breastfeeding mothers, and the support that should be given by companies to working parents. Eliza continues to speak about this so that companies are made aware of the problem and working parents can have the choice to live their lives while staying valuable to their company.
Visit innovationforallcast.com for URLs.

ExplicitVR-training against sexual harassment is not a gimmick, feat. Morgan Mercer of Vantage Point

Learn how Vantage Point is using VR to reduce sexual harassment at work through way, way better training. In this episode of Innovation For All, Sheana Ahlqvist speaks with Morgan Mercer, founder and CEO of Vantage Point.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How Vantage Point leverages the benefits VR to combat sexual harassment;
Examples of subtle & aggressive sexual harassment situations in the workplace;
Why they take a bystander approach to training;
Morgan (@themorganmercer) is product-enthusiast and idealist who founded the Virtual Reality immersive training company Vantage Point in 2017. Prior to founding Vantage Point, she concurrently served as the Head of Digital for an e-commerce startup and an Analyst for a digital agency where she has worked on high-profile contracts focused on attitude change and behavior change within the domain of complex social issues.
Learn more at innovationforallcast.com.

ExplicitGoogle and Facebook are monopolies. Does it matter? feat. Sally Hubbard

In this episode of Innovation For All, Sheana Ahlqvist speaks with Sally Hubbard, antitrust expert and investigative journalist at The Capitol Forum’s. Learn whether giant tech companies are building monopolies (spoiler alert: they are) and why that unfair advantage matters.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What is Antitrust law?
Is fake news an antitrust problem?
How monopolies amplify inequality
What would it look like to unmonopolize big tech companies?
Learn more at innovationforallcast.com

ExplicitBe brave, get paid: How women can earn more $ through negotiation - Kathlyn Hart

Does the thought of negotiating terrify you? It could be costing you tens of thousands of dollars. In this episode of Innovation For All, Sheana speaks with Kathlyn Hart, salary negotiation coach and founder of the Be Brave Get Paid salary boot camp for millennial women.

Osonde Osoba, an engineer at the RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, joins us in today’s episode of Innovation For All Podcast to talk about Fairness in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Most AI’s today and in the future could have consequential impacts on the people, which is why Osonde is pushing for systems that are accurate, unbiased, and flexible.
Discover what areas should we be wary when handing over the decision-making to AI’s, why this isn’t just a technical issue, but also political, and who should we put in charge of these systems. Learn also the importance of accountability, ethics, privacy, and regulation in AI systems. Visit innovationforallcast.com for shownotes and links to Osonde's TEDX talk: Making AI Fair.

In today’s episode of the Innovation For All Podcast, we’re joined by Delali Kpodzo, the Co-Founder of We Are Onyx, a popular beauty destination for Black women and women of color. We dive into her entrepreneurial journey, why women of color need specific personal care solutions, and the state of the current beauty market.
Discover how a hair salon mishap led Delali to start We Are Onyx, which has reached more than $2 million in sales. Delali thinks that’s just the beginning in a vastly untapped market.

How can conscious consumers help women-owned businesses? Stella McShera explains why she launched equallet (@equallet), a local search-platform to help you connect with Women-Owned Businesses. Discover how equallet supports the growth of every female founder, consumer, or investor, and helps bridge the gender gap in business.
We also discuss how her experience as a mixed-race person has varied from place to place, and how that ultimately led her to get a science degree.

In this episode of Innovation for All, host Sheana Ahlqvist talks to Dr. Jutta Treviranus, Director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre at OCAD University in Toronto. Dr. Treviranus explains how traditional approaches to business, design practices, and research can results in suboptimal or unfair systems. They discuss what inclusive design is, why it is so important, and how we can design systems that accommodate everyone.
Dr. Treviranus also reimagines the future of education. They cover her efforts to incorporate inclusivity into the current change-resistant educational system, her “Unlearning and Questioning” course, and her most recent project: developing a lab school for inclusive life-long learning.
YOU’LL LEARN:
• How to use AR to combine real data with simulated data to create and experience new, imagined futures
• What is the Pareto Principle (80/20 Principle)?
• What are the real world consequences of ignoring the “20%”?
• What is the Cobra Effect?

Host Sheana Ahlqvist speaks with Hans Jørgen Wiberg, founder of Be My Eyes, a free mobile app that connects blind and visually impaired individuals with sighted volunteers through live video calls. Wiberg explains how Be My Eyes works, how he monetized an app while keeping it free for both sides of the marketplace, and how important it is to consider how blind people interact with the world around them when designing products and services
You’ll learn:
- What is microvolunteering?
- What is Be My Eyes and how does it work?
- How can we design products so that they are more accessible to the blind?
- How can one monetize and keep sustainable a product or service, especially one that is designed for a low-income population, without charging users?
- What are some challenges facing Be My Eyes and similar apps in their efforts to support specific populations worldwide?

Discover how you can learn about and reduce implicit bias in this conversation with Dr. Jordan Axt (@jordanaxt).
Learn: How can we reduce or change an individual’s level of implicit bias? What's the IAT? Does it work? Where do we go from here?
Have you ever wondered why you always like people a little more if they’re fans of the same baseball team as you, and like them a little less if they’re fans of your team’s archrivals? Or wondered if your sex, gender, sexual orientation, or even physical appearance had something to do with why you did or didn’t get that job you interviewed for?
These thoughts all relate to the concept of implicit bias. Implicit bias is related to thoughts, feelings, attitudes outside our conscious control that contribute to gender, race, and social status implications.

Customer Reviews

Tech meets diversity with a terrific host

by
Cooncow

I’ve gotten so into this podcast that I get excited whenever I see a new episode in my feed. Sheana is a smart, thoughtful and engaging host. Her guests are people who are working hard to make our world work for everyone; not just the privileged or the majority. I love hearing the back and forth between her and her guests and the level of detail she gets into.

A conversation we need.

by
Shahriar Ghoudsif

It is so amazing to hear some of the stories and conversations behind inclusion in our world. I love that these are taking place to open my eyes to the current world and how to create a better tomorrow that is more fair for everyone. We should all be celebrated for our differences and “Innovation for All” shows us how.

Interesting, thought-provoking podcast

by
colinbovet

I'm a huge podcast fan and heard about Innovation for All through a friend. So far I've listened to the first three episodes. It's a conversational long-form podcast and the guests' answers can get a bit long at times, but they have insighful things to say about our world, technology, and ethics. My favorite episode so far is Be My Eyes.Overall, it's a well-produced podcast that makes me think more deeply about issues around me. I look forward to future episodes!